Penny takes the wheel
by HedwigsTalons
Summary: Penny gets the chance to drive Jupiter but discovers that when it comes to vehicles, size really does matter.


**All characters belong to HiT entertainment**

 **A/N This is my first attempt at writing so all reviews are appreciated.**

Fireman Sam put down his cloth and admired his handiwork. Jupiter, freshly washed, gleamed in the morning sunlight. Like every other aspect of his work Sam took pride in doing a good job and that included keeping Jupiter in pristine condition. Just as he was clearing away the buckets and sponges Penny came over. 'Are you sure you're ready to let me get behind the wheel?' she said with a laugh. Sam smiled. He knew his colleagues thought he could be a bit overprotective of the fire engine but she was the pride of the Pontypandy fire station. 'It's ok Penny' Sam replied, 'and anyway, it makes sense to give you some practice at driving her before you need to do it for an emergency'.

That afternoon Penny and Sam climbed into the cab of Jupiter but with Penny taking the driving seat for a change. 'Where should I take her, Sam?' she asked. 'Take her round past Dilys' shop, after all that is out most likely destination in an emergency'. Penny agreed. Young Norman Price seemed to be responsible for about half their call outs and the crew were often to be found at the shop.

They set off with Penny taking it slow and steady. She had driven similar vehicles during her training at the academy but since her arrival in Pontypandy a few weeks earlier Sam has always been the driver. As she got a feel for the power of the engine she relaxed and so do did Sam.

Sam was contentedly looking out of the side window when he felt Jupiter start to turn unexpectedly. 'Arafwch! Stop!' {Slow down! Stop!} he yelled out, shocked into the Welsh of his childhood by the sight of the wall coming closer. Penny slammed on the brakes but not before they both heard the sickening crunching sound as Jupiter grazed the wall. 'What were you thinking?' asked Sam. 'I'm sorry Sam, I always go this way in Venus, it's the most direct route' she replied. 'Yes, but Venus is half the size of Jupiter, this lane is far too narrow for her. You must have sat with me on a dozen call outs to the shop, have you never noticed I always have to take Jupiter down to the main road and then double back?'. 'I should have remembered, Sam, I suppose I just forgot and went with what felt familiar. I'm sorry.' 'That's ok. I wasn't concentrating either, I should have reminded you. I suppose you ought to reverse her back out of the junction so we can look at the damage. I'm just glad you weren't travelling at speed or we could have got wedged'.

Penny reversed Jupiter out of the lane and parked up. The two friends jumped down to inspect the damage. A nasty scuff blemished Jupiter's gleaming paint, showing up clearly against the gloss as an ugly scar. Penny rubbed at the mark with her sleeve. 'That's going to take a bit more that a quick wipe to sort out although thankfully it looks like it's mostly just dirt' said Sam. 'Once we get back to the station I'll give her a thorough check over' said Penny. The pair drove back to the fire station in silence, Penny in deep concentration in case she made another mistake.

Back at the station Penny reversed Jupiter back into her normal bay. She was quite glad that the scuff mark was on the far side of Jupiter and couldn't be seen from Station Officer Steele's office. She quickly got to work with cloths and polish so she could properly inspect the damage. Sam went off to make some tea, he was trying not to be cross with Penny but it hurt him to see Jupiter looking anything less than perfect.

Penny had cleaned up the scuff as best as possible and was thankful to see that once the dirt was cleaned away the damage was fairly superficial. Most of the scuff had polished out and she was just about to repair a small scratch with some tough up paint when she heard footsteps approaching. She quickly tucked the paint pot behind Jupiter's wheel and stood up. To her relief it was Sam carrying two steaming mugs. 'I thought you might appreciate a brew' he said, and passed her a mug. 'Thanks Sam' she replied, glad that they still seemed to be friends. Sam inspected Jupiter. 'You would hardly think anything had happened' he said, 'the bump must have sounded much worse than it was'. Penny pulled out her paint pot and a delicate brush that looked like it would be more at home in an artist's studio that a fire station. 'I was just about to do the final touch up, once the paint has dried and been polished you won't even know she was damaged'. 'I think you are right Penny, you stopped before there was any damage to the wall and Jupiter will look as good as new once you have finished. I don't think we need worry Station Officer Steele with this one'. Penny looked relieved. Since the moment she heard the crunch she had been worried about having to report to the Station Officer. So far she had maintained an exemplary service record and damaging a valuable fire engine would be a big black mark against her. 'Thanks Sam', she whispered.

As Sam turned to go back up to the crew room Penny called him back. 'Sam….please don't let Elvis know about today, I'll never live it down'. Sam grinned at her 'Now that request is going to cost you, Firefighter Morris. I think about a month of covering my cleaning duties should just about buy my silence, especially seeing as I know we have some off road drills training drills planned next week. Now hurry up and get finished, there is a stack of washing up upstairs with your name on it.'


End file.
